one bet, one fail, one mission
by tunfisch3000
Summary: what happens when the "legendary trio" loses a bet with Zack and Cloud? Read to find out! Have fun reading! (No yaoi. First fanfiction: constructive critisism appreciated) Currently on hold
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes:

Well, hey there. This will be my first story and to be quite honest, I didn't really plan to write something, so this might be a bit random, partially, because this was written during pretty boring history, math and geography classes. Please don't rip me apart for any mistakes I might make.

I'm always open to suggestions. Also, there will probably be some randomness and puns from Zacks side and I will probably make Sephiroth more 'social' than he was in the original game, though I'm not quite sure about that myself. For all those who might ask this: Yeah I played Crisis Core and am well aware of the fact, that Genesis and Sephiroth never met Zack during his time before Genesis went insane with degradation.

Hope you enjoy ready~~~ And I'm looking forward to any kinds of suggestion or reviews.

And for all those who might ask: No, I don't own Final Fantasy. Square Enix does. If I owned it, there'd be no way Zack died. He just didn't deserve that.

„Angeeeeeeeeeaaaaal!" A black haired man yelled. He was standing in a corridor of the ShinRa building in Midgar. "Angeeeeeeeeaaaaaaal! Where are you?" He had spiky hair and eyes as blue as the skies. "Man, even Sephiroth is hiding…" he murmured. The ShinRa corridors were long and bare and they were difficult to hide in. But Zack knew for a fact that his mentor went this way in an attempt to hide. "Losing a bet is nothing to worry about Angeal. You just need to do as you said and it's over. Nothing to hide from" he said in a loud voice. " A single bet is not going to get you killed." He continued.

Suddenly he felt something behind him. He tensed; adrenaline flooding his body and making it tingle and hunger for action. All his SOLDIER senses were alarmed. A hand reached for his shoulder and he immediately snapped into a defensive posture as he turned around. "Easy, little one." Came the smooth voice of Genesis, clad in red as always. "Genesis." Zack was more than surprised to find the first class Soldier standing in front of him. "Why are you here? I thought you'd be finding Sephiroth?" "I am here to offer my help, little puppy. Sephiroth himself seemed rather understanding in this matter and agreed to fulfill the…. Terms of last Friday evenings… bet." Genesis explained.

"So he didn't try to fry you on spot?" Zack asked unbelievingly. "And chase you out of his office? I'm sure he fled into his office…."

-"Uh, yes he did. Both. BUT. I'll help you find Angeal. Sephiroth agreed in the end after all and going against his own principles is not something Angeal would do." Genesis had a content smile on his face. Obviously he was very, _very _content with himself for accomplishing this task. "You're doung this just for the heck of it, aren't ya?" Zack asked. "I am not the only one here, am I? Now let us find Angeal. He couldn't have taken off to another dimension now, could he? Man the outcome of the bet must have been really shocking for 'geal…"Genesis replied.

- "No kidding"

_-Flashback-_

_-Friday evening-_

_-Some Bar in Sector 8-_

"_No, Zack, I will not approve of that." A smooth voice said. And General Sephiroth arched a brow at the younger second class he just addressed._

"_I second that." Genesis stood at Sephiroths side, patting the silver haired man on the shoulder._

"_No I told you: Cloud can hold his liquor better than any of you guys!" Zack protested with a light pout._

"_Zack, let's be rational here: Cloud is even younger than you are." Angeal stepped towards Sephiroth and Genesis to stand at their side and to support his two best friends._

"_Yes, and..?" Zack retorted with a snort. "I BET Cloud's better than any of you."_

"_A.. bet…?" the three first-class SOLDIERS looked at the spiky-haired man in disbelief._

"_YES! And if I lose the bet, I'll do cleaning duty for a month!" he exclaimed. 'Bad idea. Veeeery bad idea, Zack.' He thought._

"_And if we lose..?" The three looked at Angeals apprentice, a silvery eyebrow quirked in interest, a deep frown appearing on Angeals face and a slight smirk on Genesis' features._

"_If you lose, Angeal and Sephiroth need to switch weapons for one mission and Genesis…" he looked at the auburn haired man "Genesis won't recite LOVELESS for a month. Oh and me and Cloud will pick the mission for you." A long silence descended upon the bar. People were watching._

"_Sirs…?" came a voice to the four soldiers' side. "Could you at least talk things over with me before you go and decide things on your own..?" Cloud, who was being ignored completely until now broke the silence. 4 pairs of glowing eyes were now all looking at him. He had been dragged along by Zack to 'socialize with other people and to make new friends' as Zack had voiced it. At first he struggled to wind himself out of the second-class' grip but soon he found it futile to resist and ended up going to a bar somewhere in Sector 8._

"_Aww, come on Cloud! I know you won't lose. Ever." And there it was: Zack's kicked-puppy-look. 'NO Cloud, you won't.' Cloud thought desperately. But his mouth seemed to have a brain of its own. "Okay…." He sighed. This puppy-look would be his doom. He just knew it._

"_I'm in." Genesis voice floated in the air. Angeal and Sephiroth both turned to look at the auburn haired man. "What..? It'll be fun."_

"_Fun... huh? Yes… We sure could use some..." Angeal mused. "And we're SOLDIER. It's not like some grunt could hold their liquor better than SOLDIERS…" He then looked at a confident looking Genesis and sighed. "Alright, then. I'm in too."_

_Now the only one left was Sephiroth, who obviously didn't like where this was heading. But the expectant gazes, who were upon him now made him just sigh and join in. It couldn't be as bad…_

"_Ok, bring it on, then!" Zack turned to a waitress and ordered 5 beers._

_-3 hours later-_

"_Th…this.. ain't..r-right… hick" a very drunk Genesis complained._

"_Shiva, you totally got them, Cloud" Zack giggled and looked at his work. Cloud looked untouched and completely sane, while the rest… well… looked less good. "We win" his grin grew wider._

_There were three drunken 1__st__ classes left to be carried to the barracks and Zack obviously was in a VERY good mood_

_-Flashback end-_

"Angeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaa aaaaal~~~~~~" he shouted again. "C'mon Angeal! It's only ONE mission! No need to be afraid!"

"Zack, I am not afraid." The voice of Angeal echoed to him from behind. Zack whirled around to see Angeal standing directly next do Genesis, a smile on his face. "Now what mission did you have in mind?"

"Sir?" A secretary poked his head into the oversized office of the president.

-"Yes?" President Shinra was a busy man. But he liked entertainment.

"It seems that all first-class SOLDIERs a second-class and a grunt requested a mission together."

The secretary shifted uncomfortably.

"ALL first-classes?" his brows furrowed "Even General Sephiroth?"

-"Yes, sir." answered the other man. This piqued the interest of Shinra. "And… what might the occasion be…?" he inquired further.

-"A bet, sir."

"A bet…." The president repeated. 'this was going to be interesting.'

Hey there again^^ I'd like to thank you for reading this.

And well, uh, I know it's kinda short but I never thought about how to proceed from this point on with the story-line, like: where should the mission take place?

I promise the next chapter will be longer^^

Hope you enjoyed it :D


	2. Chapter 2

"This must be important, if he is sending us." The eerie voice echoed in the cave the man stood in. It was dark and only the faint glow of mako-enhanced eyes could be seen. Two pairs of them. They were a shade of green and as cold as ice.

* * *

General Sephiroth, the epitome of pride and strength in SOLDIER was feeling very uncomfortable in his own office. Not only did he lose a drinking contest, he lost one against a simple infantry-man. The only way to forget this loss seemed to be the only thing he really hated (apart from Hojo): Paperwork.

His office consisted of a desk, two simple bookshelves a couch and far too much paperwork on said desk. He himself sat in his leather-office-chair and skimmed through the reports.

He already got to the 20th page of a report concerning the Wutai war, when his secretary decided to interrupt him. "Sir, Commander Rhapsodos, Commander Angeal and Lieutenant Fair wish to talk to you."

The silver general just pinched his nose with a simple thought _Why_ but still agreed to let them in.

"Man, you really need more furniture in here... And colour! It looks like you're sitting inside a reeeeaaal boring block of steel. Wait... isn't that what the ShinRa-tower is made of?" Zack, who had launched himself directly at Sephiroth's couch complained. "Lieutenant Fair, please refrain from 'decorating' my office. "The silver general sighed. This was going to be a much longer day than he had thought. "Alright, alright... just sayin'..." was Zack's reply, while he cranked his puppy-look up to lvl.3. Angeal who just stood by and watched decided to pinch his nose and groan, while Genesis stood in a corner with a grin and watched events unfold.

When Zack decided to at least make the couch more comfy by putting pillows on it, Sephiroth snapped and burned half his office down.

Hours later, Zack went to get Cloud. When he dragged him out of the barracks, Cloud noticed Zack's smell. "Just what did you do again? You smell like someone tried to barbecue you, no offense..."

"Well... you really don't want to know... Okay! So, I've made up my mind! We're going to Mideel! A new cavern has been discovered there, and those, who were out there exploring it said that it was full of abandoned mechs and monsters, so yeah! Let's go!" Zack almost beamed and grinned at Cloud, who was just sliiightly terrified by this idea. "You serious?" the blonde asked his best friend. He obviously DID NOT like it.

"Oh, c'mon~ you have 4 SOLDIERs with you, three 1st classes at that~ and you have me!"

-"Alright... I guess..."

Zack grinned wider (was that even possible?) and proceeded to drag Cloud along to the helipads, where a chopper was already waiting for the small group.

"I really don't think that bringing only one trooper with us is wise..." Angeal said, after they boarded the chopper. They were waiting for their pilot to show up now. "Why not? I promised to help him and the best way to learn something is to do it directly! Why else would you stuff me into the training room for like... 8 hrs a day?" Zack retorted. "Anyway, I'm responsible for him, because I was the one to suggest this bet in the first place. By the way, have you guys switched weapons yet?" He got two groans in response: one from Angeal, because he still wasn't sure, if he could entrust his beloved buster to the silver general and one from Sephiroth himself because he preferred long-ass-swords over big-broad-ass-swords.

"We will wait until we reach our destination. Then we will talk about the management of our weaponry." Sephiroth replied. Yes, it would definitely be a long day.

* * *

-Meanwhile at the cave in Mideel-

"HELP! FOR GODDESS' SAKE! HELP MEEAARGH..." someone cried. The cry was intense and so terrifying that even the monsters stopped their tracks and looked for the source, as it died down in a wet gurgle. Blood splattered the walls, the floor and mingled with the mud and the muck. "Negative. We still haven't acquired what we're searching for. Did you get anything, Roc?... Nothing...? Yes... We are to continue our task... Yes... No matter the casualties... and no matter the corpses... Yes... Indulge yourself." The black PHS snapped shut as the man cut the line. With an abnormal, distorted smirk the figure reached the back of the chamber he stood in. there was another exit to the cave than the one where he entered from at the front. He glanced back at the corpse of the man he killed and grinned even wider. Killing people, taking lives after lives; it felt so good, so satisfying and he knew, that once ShinRa was here, he'd have enough targets to kill. But until then, Monsters will have to do.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

-"No, we're not."

-"Are we there... yet?"

-"still no."

-"And now?"

-"NO!" was the combined reply of EVERY SINGLE PERSON inside the chopper to Zack's more than unnecessary questions. He himself just pouted, but that didn't stop him from challenging Cloud to a squats-contest, which was pretty soon cut short by Genesis, who couldn't watch the up-and-down-movement anymore and from Reno (he was piloting the chopper by the way), who was hard pressed NOT to hit the passenger eject button in front of him, because the whole friggin' helicopter shook. After an hour or six the small group of ShinRa employees arrived in Mideel, a small jungle town with the same name as the region.

* * *

"Why the fuck did we have to go to Mideel of all places?! Man... i should never have agreed to this... AAAAH! And here they are, the DOOM of mankind as we know it!"

Everyone glanced at Genesis, who started shouting random things about doom and apocalypse etc. Angeal just sighed and decided to ignore the outburst of his best friend. _Gaia, please don't question him. Please don't..._ He silently prayed, but the deities seemed to ignore him because next thing he knew, Zack opened his mouth: "Why are you so worked up? I knew you had problems with backwater towns but I didn't know it was this bad..."

-"It's not the town, Zack..." Sephiroth told him with a sigh. The headache was coming. He started rubbing his temples and proceeded to ignore the upcoming argument between the two.

"Those little creepers... They're EVERYWHERE! What did I do to deserve thiiiis..." Genesis whined. "It can't be that bad now, can it?" Zack asked Angeal, who tried to comfort his best friend. "It is. You see: Ever since his childhood Genesis had a tiny problem with bugs..." his mentor answered. "Oh really. I sense a story behind this." Zack replied with an evil grin. Well... Almost evil. He couldn't risk the others knowing his plans concerning Genesis and certain little crawlers and his office desk. "So what exactly happened back then?" Cloud and Zack asked in unison. _Can't hurt to tell them, can it?_ "It happened back in Banora, our home-town. Genesis was a wealthy landowner's son and he wasn't used to having little crawlers in his room. One day, I stayed over because Genesis' parents had a little disagreement and he was caught up in it." Angeal began to recount.

_-Flashback-_

"_Hey Genesis? You should probably... wake up..." 7years old Angeal tried to shake him, but didn't dare to. It was night and the room was dark. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered either one of them, but this time there was something different. Not that different, but different still. "Gen. Wake up." Angeal tried again, only to be met with a loud snore. Oh c'mon... If he didn't get Genesis to wake up, he'd never live this down... "Shit. Too late... the thing just fulfilled its evil deed... Ewww... WAKE UP! YOU JUST ATE A SPIDER!" _

_-Flashback end-_

"He never let me live this down even to this day." The older man concluded. "So basically, Genesis is afraid of every bug-like little animal, because he swallowed a spider when he was young?" Cloud asked incredulously. _How did that guy survive till now? He came from a backwater-town after all. Well... No use contemplating. _"Anyways, uhh...Sirs? It would be good, if you could now comply to our bet's condition and switch your weapons, because I get the distinct feeling, that we will need them soon..." He mumbled the last part in an insecure way. After all, he was talking to superiors, wasn't he?

Sephiroth and Angeal glanced at each other uncomfortably and let out a sigh simultaneously.

"Very well..." replied Sephiroth and handed his friend the Masamune, who in return handed him the way heavier Buster-Sword. "Please take good care of it, for the buster represents my honour." Angeal looked into Sephiroths eyes, a stern expression on the older man's face."The same goes for Masamune."

-"Of course."

"Uh guys… You do know how to use those two swords… right?" Zack asked uncomfortably.

"I can learn." Was the answer he got from both guys. O yes, now he felt soooo at peace.

* * *

"This is getting interesting." The man in the cave purred. He had heard from his accomplice that some ShinRa people landed in the town today. Oh, this was going to be his lucky week. No more weak monsters, no more wasting resources, and finally a way to complete the task he was sent here for.

* * *

"Yeah, Zack, let's find an inn first. No offense Sirs, but I'd rather continue this conversation somewhere comfortable, where not everyone can hear us." Cloud chimed into the little conversation Zack, Angeal and Sephiroth had. They were arguing about how they could've prepared better for this event, like how they could've trained with those weapons BEFORE they headed out. "Cloud's right y'know. I would also prefer a place to sit down and a break from those bugs. Let's find an inn." Genesis said. Someone had to remind them after all and Sephiroth wasn't exactly known to take advice from cadets. "Very well. We shall find an inn and retreat to our quarters." Said Angeal. "You're around Seph too much y'know." Zack told him while shaking his head.

-"Why?"

-"You just talked like him and it's giving me Goosebumps. Look, Cloudy's thrown off too." He explained, while from behind them a rather loud "I'm not!" was thrown into their conversation. "Relax, Cloudy-Woudy. We don't want unnecessary attention, right?" was Zack's reply.

He got a thunderga thrown after him for that.

"Rendezvous tomorrow, at 0600 hours. Don't be late, puppy." Sephiroth said while walking away.

"Hey! I'm no puppy! SEPH!" Zack cried after him with a pout on his face. "Sure, continue to tell yourself that and you'll believe it someday." Cloud said with a smirk and walked away too. "GUYS! That's so not nice! Hey, Where're you going anyway?" Zack's pout became somewhat bigger.

"You may be satisfied by standing on the road all day, but I'm not! We're going to the inn. If you want to stand there, be my guest." With that, he was left standing on the street. "GUYS!"

* * *

Author's notes:

Ok… Not where I intended to go with this chapter, but ok….

Aww well… Sorry for taking so long with the update… I was kinda occupied with exams and homework etc… I'd bet everything that my teachers are enjoying suffocating students in homework.

Anyways:

I got a couple of questions for you guys:

First:

I couldn't come up with some cool names for the bad guys. There will be more than two, probably 4-5… One's called Roc, but the rest? Could you guys do me a favour and put some ideas into the reviews? Thx in advance!

Second:

What's better: normal lunatics, insane scientist with cohorts or just some random bandits? I'm just trying to figure out, what kind of bad guys we have here. Should I mix this? Review!

Thx for reading this! :D


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

Bad me ;D I somehow wrote another fanfiction down and uploaded it before finishing this one. FAIL. But I am working on updates and I will try to update faster than before.

Though I am in Australia now for the coming 5 months and I don't really have internet access. (that means I can rarely be on ff to update or look at the reviews)

But this doesn't mean you can slack off with the reviews, no?

Ok that's enough of my nonsense; here comes the story. Hope you have fun while reading.

* * *

Light fog hung in the air, which was illuminated by the slightly greenish yellow light, that somehow found it's way through the treetops; around the leafs and branches. The sight was so peaceful and plain breathtaking. The whole jungle seemed to be asleep, as the brushing of leafs was the only noticeable sound in the town of Mideel. But still there were things, that didn't fit with the description: A loud group of ShinRa employees.

"Now that we're all here, I'd like to discuss the procedure with which we will take a look at the cave." Sephiroth said as everyone arrived at last. Zack just rolled his eyes. 'Here comes mission-mode again.' They discussed strategies, approach and things that could happen (though thanks to Zack, that part was cut short as the niveau this conversation took place at sunk steadily.)

As soon as that was done, they went into the jungle (pretty much to Genesis' dismay). A native had been called to take them to the cave. It was 0900 and the sun was already burning the air where its rays got through. Where they didn't, they turned the air into a thick hot mixture of scents with way too much humidity in it. "It'll take me months to make my hair look normal again... " Sephiroth grumbled at the way the humidity was affecting his hair. Everything that affected his hair also affected his mood, making it quite obvious that once they arrived at the cave, they'd have to deal with a pissed off General without Masamune and therefore an irritated Angeal with no buster. The odds of them getting back alive were pretty good; Hell hath no fury like an annoyed Sephiroth, who feared for his hair.

* * *

"They're here. Finally." The cold calculating voice echoed inside one of the many chambers of the cave. Bluish green eyes darted to another pair. Both pairs shined with the telltale glow of mako enhancement. "So we can cut loose, right?" A female voice came from the second pair. "Hm." Was the reply she got from the first pair of eyes. "Try to be discreet. We were ordered to take our target and bring him back to _him_."

-"Of course!" The voice giggled. It was an ominous sound, almost as if some sick guy had raised a second hojo and altered his voice into a female one, making the giggles a more screeching sound.

"Soon, the target will be one of us." The first voice murmured and wandered off into the cave.

* * *

"So you call _this_ 'cave'?" Cloud asked, eyebrows raised. His nerves had been worn down to a tiny string thanks to Zack's never-ending chatting about the most random things in the world like ("Do you think you can juggle a popsicle with one hand while fighting?" Or "Why is the buster so broad and heavy and still looking badass?") AND thanks to their little incident on the way.

_-Flashback-_

_"Monster!" The Native -his name was Nick- cried in horror. Two Griffons suddenly __jumped out of the bushes and landed in front of them, shrieking and scratching the ground. Behind them, two hedhunters pulled up to them. They were surrounded._

_"Zack, protect Cloud and Nick. We've got this." Genesis said with his 'buisness' tone. The three First-Class SOLDIERs positioned themselves around the three others in a triangle shaped formation. Angeal instantly pulled the Masamune up, holding in front of him, as if it were a normal broadsword, while Sephiroth assumed his standart 'Octaslash' position. Genesis just drew his Rapier and smirked: "This won't take long." _

_The griffon snarled. Angeal scowled. It scratched the ground and prepared an assault. The First-Class readied his weapon. Their every movement was being watched by the other SOLDIERs. Another snarl from the Griffon and it jumped, intending to bring Angeal down with its weight. As soon as its hind-legs left the ground, all hell broke loose: _

_The second Griffon jumped Genesis, while the two head-hunters went after the Silver General. Angeal took Masamune with both hands and slashed the Griffon across the chest, successfully killing it in one blow, thanks to the unnecessary extra force he put behind it. The Masamune didn't need much force to bring its opponents down and force of habit made Angeal practically dump it on the monster. Sweatdropping at the sight of the maltretated monster in front of him, he turned around to see a situation which was probably the most disturbing and amusing one he ever got to see: Genesis was roasting his Griffon on his sword with a Firega-Blade-spell and Sephiroth was having small problems with the weight of the buster. Not because he wasn't strong enough. Oh no. The point was, that he was too strong._

_He commenced the 'Octaslash'. One hit, the next, and one to the chest of one headhunter. It snapped back, while hissing menacingly and charged again. A fourth, fifth and sixth hit. It panted slightly. Seventh and eight hit it's back and chest. Suddenly surprise could be seen on the General's normally stoic features. He had performed an uppercut for the 'grand finale', successfully killing the first headhunter, but misjudged the weight of the sword. "Oh..." before he could continue his sentence, the sword was already flying out of his hand. A loud CRASH sound could be heard and Sephiroth stood in front of it, looking at his empty hand and then looking back at the buster, which lay on a pile of green goo and exoskeleton. The sword had crashed into the second headhunter, killing it immediately with the impact and its weight. He picked the buster up and murmured a satisfied "will do." Before returning to the group._

_"Dude, that Headhunter was totally pancaked." Zack remarked with his jaw flat on the floor. Cloud was also staring, but seeing the dumb expression on his best friend's face, he immediatly straightened up and closed his mouth while rolling his eyes at him. "Just stop staring. You look like Reno."_

-_"Uh... Yeah..."_

_-End Flashback-_

Zack just stared at the entrance. This was... not exactly what he expected: In front of the group was a gaping opening in a stone-wall, which pretty much tore through half the jungle. Strands of greenery hung down the entrance and the rays of the light from the outside gave way to a giant hall-like structure inside the said stone. "The mountain has always been there, but the cavern is new. I don't know since when it's been here, but the entrance isn't as whithered as most of the older caves." Nick said, motioning to the entrance.

„This leaves a wide window for speculation. Your assessment on this is..?" Sephitoth's gaze turned to Angeal. He was the backwater expert and his assessments had been right most of the time. He was something like the Bear Grylls of Midgar (some of the seconds actually called him that behind his back).

„I think it is safe to go in, but as this cave really seems to be not natural, we might have some tough foes coming onto us." He turned to Zack and Cloud, looking all serious and putting on his 'I-won't-tolerate-any-antics-right-now' look, „Focus."

-"I know. I won't compromise the mission."

Cloud was nothing short of amazed: the ever-so-goofy Zack being serious? Not like this normal 'We-have-to-do-this' attitude, but being dead serious? That was almost as scary as Sephiroth after 5hrs of paperwork. But almost only. So the ranks of SOLDIER weren't filled with fools after all.

Suddenly the air felt heavy around them. Something was coming. And whatever it was, it was big, nasty and probably after them.

* * *

A/N:

big thx to Ohjay,

Yin,

Demmy Yu,

and to all my other friends and readers who helped me

and inspired me.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:

Australia is like super awesome. Okay, so it was stormy for some time, but still didn't change the fact that this country is plain awesome. I don't have as much homework as I have in my homecountry, so I try to put more time into writing this. Also I'm pretty sure that most Zack Fair fans will probably hate me for this chapter.

Oh yeah! Thx to all these people, who reviewed and gave their feedback. I honestly didn't expect to get as many responses as I did. :D

Awright! Enough of my nonsense. Enjoy the story and don't forget to review! :D

* * *

„This is not good..." Cloud murmured as he watched a person with drawn sword approach them. The person was accompanied by a horde of monsters which Cloud had not once seen in his entire life: They were humanoid and hunched over with patches of fur which were present on their backs, their arms and their legs. Their mouths were graced with large canines which looked sharp enough to pierce even the hardest of metals and their fingertips had morphed into claws. „What are these things?" he looked at Zack for answers, but the 2nd class SOLDIER just stood there, stunned. The girl was suddenly behind him, an empty syringe in her hand. The raven haired man

became instantly unresponsive. Cloud's eyes went wide. „Zack..?" even calling his name didn't seem to snap him out of it, so Cloud turned to Angeal in search for advice. The 1st Class was standing protectively in front of his student and Cloud, but as soon as he saw Zack standing there, completely still and unmoving he rushed to his side. „What happened?" he asked Cloud with knitted eyebrows. This couldn't be good.

The stranger stood so close to them and so were her monsters. It was a girl, not older than 16, but her eyes didn't match her appearance: They were red and filled with bloodlust, desire and insanity. „What are you waiting for, brother?" her voice was sweet but dripping with the desire to slaughter.

Seeing this exchange, Sephiroths eyes narrowed dangerously. He didn't like this situation at all and who was she talking to? But his train of thought crashed into the next wall, at what happened as soon as the words left her mouth:

Zacks eyes went wide, but instead of the usual cerulean, the irises were a shade of green, which started to mingle with red. „Stay out of my Head!" he cried, his voice taking on a layered tone. He was clenching his head now and starting to lose his balance, resulting in him crashing to the ground and taking a fetal position while shaking violently.

„But brother. Don't you want to come with us? Your brothers and sisters are waiting for you."

-"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" she started cackling madly at Zacks obvious act of defiance.

„You can't fight. You are powerless. Stop fighting it. It will bring you salvation."

The shaking of his body subsided and it lay still.

„Damn! ZACK!" Cloud, who had been at his friends' side the whole time cried out. „Fight it!" He started shaking the still body beneath him, warm tears slipping down his face. „You can't leave me here! You're the only real friend I have at ShinRa!" He pleaded with the body beneath him.

Sephiroth, who had watched the exchange with knitted eyebrows ripped his gaze from the downed 2nd Class and turned his attention to the Girl in front of them. She still had this insane grin on her face and was cackling madly. „What did you do to him?" he asked her, his voice dripping with hate.

„I opened his eyes. Now he will see the world the way we do and join our noble cause."

-"What _noble_ cause? I don't see anything noble in torturing people." Angeal asked, putting extra emphasis on the word 'noble'.

„You see: this world is rotten to the core. There had been many attempts at changing it; making it a better place. Whether it was the planet itself, trying to purge this world, or alien matter, that didn't actually belong here. They all failed. But we; we will succeed. All this unfairness and all the wrongs of this world are going to be swept away."

„You speak of unfairness and a rotten world. What do you mean by that?" Genesis, who had been silent the whole time asked. He didn't like it at all, where this conversation was going. Looking at their group he realized that Nick was missing, but seeing the situation at hand, he didn't give it much thought.

„Wars. Betrayals. Crimes. Mankind seems to be drawn to conflict. It seems to relish in it, swimming in it. But what is conflict? What is peace? Can there be true peace without conflict? Or can there be a constant state of discord? We are going to purge this world of these rotten feelings. We are, what human beings would call messengers of the heavens, bringers of enlightment; we are the saviors of the planet." the girl continued her rant, not even realizing the building rage inside the three 1st Class SOLDIERs. „And soon, the world will find eternal peace."

„You know, to me everything you just said sounds like complete bullshit." Cloud spoke up. He had had enough of it all. His best friend was lying on the ground, unconscious and some complete nutjob here wanted to make the world a better place. This was absolutely fucked up.

„You cannot comprehend the vast range of our teachings. How tragic." She eyed him with a pitying look on her face. „All hope is lost within..." she raised her right hand slowly and pointed one finger at Cloud, charging up a spell. „...you."

Just as the word left her mouth a beam-like fire spell shot from her hand, hitting Cloud in the chest, sending him flying back. „Chocobos should remain on the ground and carry people without questioning."

This went too far. Even for Angeal's taste. Readying the masamune, he took a fighting stance. „You think that hurting innocent people will aid your cause?" he snarled at her.

„Innocent? Kekeke... Do you honestly think of ShinRa people as innocent? You of all people should know the 'innocence' of ShinRa; am I not right? SOLDIER 1st Class Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rapsodos? I see Hollander really went out of his way concerning you two. Kekekeke..." she mumbled, the insane cackling never leaving her voice.

„Where do you kow Hollander from?" Sephiroth asked. His tone was icy, indicating that he was fuming on the inside. If hell could freeze over, it would be coated with two layered glaciers right now. And it would have been Sephiroths fault.

„Ah, even the biggest success of Hojo is present. All brilliant, but insufficient material. Yes, you are all not viable, except for brother over here." she said while pointing her index finger at the downed Zack. „He had been there when the Gongaga reactor exploded. His genetic makeup is excactly what is needed."

-"What do you mean?"

„The big explosion in the jungle. Tell me: since you are all 1st Class SOLDIERs you surely know a bit about genetics. What happens if a body is exposed to mako polluted areas for too long?" she asked, the glint in her eyes hinting some hideous facts.

-"The genetic makeup becomes unstable; changes even." All three answered. Realising what they had just said, their eyes grew wide. „Are you saying that he is genetically viable for alteraction?" Angeal asked, horrified at the mere thought.

„Exactly. Tell me: Have you ever questioned his extraordinary growth rate? He aced all trials and adapted to the mako treatments in record time. He is mastering even Sephiroth's moves and Genesis' magic. Now put two and two together and think. kekeke" The girl answered. She then looked at her watch and pulled an exaggerated disappointed face. „ Oh pooh. Looks like we don't get to play with each other. I'll give you something to think about though: Ever heard of cross-species-genetics? No? Well then. Let's take this up sometime else, shall we?" Turning around, she motioned to Zack with her hand. „Take him. We need him in one piece."

Obeying the command, the monsters swept forward in an attempt to snatch the unconscious 2nd Class. „Oh no. That's so not going to happen. You won't take my student." Angeal tried to keep the monsters from reaching his student with the Masamune, but once again swung with too much force and the sword got stuck in one of the boulders which lay in the near vicinity of the cave. „Tch."

He really didn't have time for this shit right now. His student's life was at stake here! Letting go of the Masamune, he charged the first monster that tried to grab Zack. Sephiroth and Genesis did the same and soon the whole place became a bloodied battlefield. Because of the incoming all three 1st Classes didn't notice the girl hefting the unconscious SOLDIER over her shoulder and vanishing into the cave. After a few minutes the flood of monsters died down and everyone who was still conscious felt lighter. The pressure in the air had vanished during the fight. Observing the battlefield, they saw blood and gore everywhere, even though the corpses had already dissolved into the Lifestream. „Shit. Where's Zack?!" Genesis was the first to realize that the youngest SOLDIER in their group was gone. Sephiroth was tending to Cloud and Angeal was standing in front of the spot, where Zack had been, stunned, while holding a piece of paper in his hands. „'Geal?"

* * *

-A chamber inside the cave-

Dark... It was so dark around him. Where... Where was he? Zack sat on the ground, his hands cuffed to something. Why was he here? What happened? Wait... Was there a bag on his head? Yeah, that would explain the darkness around him.

„So you're finally awake. That's good." A male voice resounded in the eerie darkness he found himself in. „Who are you?" Zack asked. Suddenly the bag was ripped from his head. What he found himself in, was so unlike what he had imagined to find: What he had imagined to be a humid, dark hole with streams of water running down the walls turned out to be a fully illuminated white room. Though the ceiling was still the trademark stoney kind of ceilings you had in caves, it didn't catch his eye at once. What caught his eye was something else: the room was filled with medical instruments. And the frightening part was, that he had seen every one of them in Hojo's lab back in Midgar. Just as he wanted to turn away from the instruments, he realized, that he was bound not to something on the ground, but to a chair. A metal chair no less. In front of him stood a man who could easily count as a giant if he was judged by height only. His body was built in a way which would support stealth, because his body was thin and muscles weren't pronounced, but noticeable. He had white hair with bits of green strands in them and his eyes were a feral golden with slitted pupils. "So our brother has finally awakened." His voice was smooth with a small arrogant note to it and the way he pronounced his words was so unlike anything Zack had ever heard. "Where am I? Who are you? What are you going to do to me?" The questions shot through Zack's head at light speed and he ended up asking more than he had wanted to. The stranger chuckled darkly. "A good brother... Would know all this..." he mumbled and moved to one of the instruments. It was a big machine, with IVs attached to it and some clear fluid floating inside. "What are you doing?!" Zack screamed in horror. He was definitely NOT going to get attached to whatever that thing was. But sadly for him, he didn't have a say in that matter. "My name is Ombra. I don't believe that we have met, but I was sure that you would recognize me. It seems that the mako had tinkered with you quite a bit... what a shame..." Ombra moved closer to Zack.

-"NO! DON'T COME CLOSER!" He wanted to thrash, to kick and to throw punches, but the restraints didn't let him do so. Ombra stood before him, a pitying look on his face.

-"NO!" and everything went black.

* * *

N/A:

Yeah I still think that some people are going to maim me for the turn of events here. Is it only me, or did some movie have a clear influence in this chapter? God... I shouldn't have watched that much marvel prior to writing this... 20 points for the ones, who can guess what movie inspired me here.

Next chapter will probably revolve around Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth and Cloud, since I'm still not sure about how to proceed with Zack here. Can I hope for some tips from those who figured out, where this is going?

Big thx to all those, who inspired me:

Petra

Senza Rimpianti

OhJay

Marie

Nick (as much as I hate to admit it)

Claudia

Julia

Leon

Demmy

all those, who reviewed,

and of course the people who provided me with names and ideas for the bad guys (too many to list)

The next chapter is already on its way. Shouldn't take as long to update as the past few chapters.

Thank you for reading and for putting up with me 'till now. Hope you enjoyed it!


	5. notice

i am sorry to come to you guys so late, but i am putting this story on hold, as i don't seem to get a hold on it anytime soon. I apologize for having you wait o long, and i am working on getting my creativity back, but i don't want you guys to wait an eternity without knowing whats going on. I kinda have a mental writers block since the last update and can't seem to get any ideas for the storyline. As soon as i get the next chapter together, it will be posted, sorry again, for making you guys wait longer instead of putting something up.

kind regards, tunfisch3000


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